Every sliding door usually has an upper track and a lower track. The majority of the weight of each door is carried by the lower track. As such, the upper track is generally designed in such a way as to guide the door so as to keep it in line and in place. As a result, the upper part of the door is usually looser, and typically creates undesirable noises caused by the friction between the upper part of the door and portions of the upper track.
In addition, it is important to ensure that sliding doors always remain in their tracks. Disengagement of a sliding door (or window, mirror, etc.) from its tracks is problematic for at least two reasons. First, the door, or portions thereof, might fall and break, thereby requiring costly repair or replacement. Second, and more importantly, a disengaged sliding door presents a significant health hazard not only to the individual operating the door, but also to any bystanders in the vicinity of the door.
Moreover, existing sliding doors provide little or no flexibility based on their functionality. More specifically, it may be desirable to customize a sliding door based on the door's intended function. Thus, for example, if the door is intended to function as a room divider, it may be desirable to have a “one-piece” panel design. On the other hand, if the sliding door is meant to be a sliding mirror or glass door for a closet, it may be desirable for the panel to be multi-faceted, e.g., have multiple horizontal or vertical panel designs.
With existing systems, the only way to achieve such function-based designs is to manufacture the door with multiple panels cut to produce the desired shapes and angles. Thus, in order for a glass door to appear as if it has three horizontal sections, for example, the door would have to be manufactured with three pieces of glass fitted within a frame that includes four horizontal frame members. This practice, however, requires that each and every sliding door be custom-made, thereby making it labor- and cost-intensive. In addition, once a door has been custom-made, the only way for a different design to be achieved—e.g., four horizontal sections instead of three—would be for another door to be custom made with the new specifications, thereby rendering the old door useless.
What is needed, therefore, is a sliding door system that allows the door to slide back and forth smoothly without any obstacles, interruptions, or undesirable noises, prevents disengagement of the door from its tracks, and allows for repeated customization without the requirement of manufacturing a new, custom-made door each time.